Never in my wildest dreams did I expect to see Kevin friggin' Richardson standing at Shay's door. With flowers, no less.
"Kevin?" Shay asked in confusion. She paled. She looked between me and Kev.
"Oh my God, you're one of them," she blurted. Jake jumped; his eyes widened in fear. He dropped my hand, clung to Shay, and buried his face in the back of her leg.
Kev didn't bat an eye. He was always like that; always calm. I wanted to rip his throat out with my bare hands.
What was he doing? He was a married man!
"I can explain," Kev said calmly. "If I have the chance."
I crossed my arms. "Does Kristin know about this?"
Shay looked like she was a second away from throwing up or bawling. Or both. She scooped Jake up.
"I don't care what the two of you do," she said hotly. I watched her disappear down the hall, most likely to Jake's room. I whirled around.
"What the fuck are you doing?" I hissed.
Kev stepped all the way in and shut the door. He held up his hand.
No ring.
"Is that supposed to impress me?" I said. "Anyone can take off a ring."
Kev's eyes darkened. "I'm divorced, dipshit."
The words sounded so foreign coming from Kevin's mouth.
"What? Since when?"
"Since two days before we went on Oprah," Kev said coldly.
"But...but...why?" All of a sudden I felt sixteen again. My bravado was failing in the presence of the one who always kept me on track.
Kev glanced towards the hall. My mind was still trying to process the odds of this happening.
"Well, after all the years of watching you and J obsess over free Internet porn, I got bored one day on set about a year ago and decided to see what was out there," Kevin said quietly.
"And Kristin divorced you over it?" I asked. Kev gave me a stoic look. I shoved my hands in my pockets.
"No," Kev sighed. He looked totally uncomfortable. Not that I was feeling all warm and cuddly, mind you. "My desires began to shift. I told Kris that I was turned on by more curves and we had a pretty big argument. Things just started falling apart."
"So you became addicted to porn and that's how you ended up here why?"
"You still have no patience, do you?" Kev asked. My jaw tensed.
"Not in the least."
He ran a hand through his hair. When I had seen him last, he had been clean shaven; he also had a ridiculous Three Stooges 'Mo' 'do going on with his black wavy hair. It was short now; spikey. He had a thin mustache and goatee; it was like he had been cryogenically frozen and just stepped out of 1999.
"First off, I didn't become addicted. Secondly, Kris and I just weren't happy and it wasn't fair to Mason. And third, how the hell are you Jake's dad?!"
"Don't turn this around on me," I said.
"I'm just asking a question."
I sighed. "Shay and I met on this celeb-reality weight loss show than never aired. I was hyped up on coke and I was horny for anything that breathed. She was vulnerable and five minutes of my life turned into the three-year old you see today," I summed up.
"And you never told anyone?"
"I didn't know until I saw Shay at Oprah!" I said.
It all came back to friggin' Oprah.
"Is that why you were distracted?" he asked. I nodded. I realized we were getting too far away from the most important problem.
"Why the hell did you tell Shay your name was Blake?"
"I'd like to know that myself."
Kev and I turned. Shay was leaning against the wall, her arms folded across her chest. I looked at Kev and took a step back.
For once, I wasn't the one in trouble.
Jake didn't deserve to be stuck in the middle of whatever the hell had happened in the living room. Even though he had chocolate donut coursing through his body, he fell asleep within minutes of being rocked in my lap. I loved rocking him; it reminded me of when he was tiny and innocent and wrinkly. My little cherub. I covered his face in sweet kisses and his voice faded to barely a whisper before his eyes closed for good and his breathing became rhythmic. I tucked him into bed and headed back out to deal with the mess that defined my life.
I couldn't believe I had been so stupid. Blake, aka Kevin Richardson. It was sad and pathetic that I hadn't recognized him as a member of the damn Backstreet Boys. How could my luck suck so much? I was trying to stay calm. Crying never did me any good.
"Why the hell did you tell Shay your name was Blake?" Nick asked angrily.
"I'd like to know that myself," I said.
Both men turned. I folded my arms across my chest. Nick took a step back. Kevin didn't flinch.
"Go ahead, Blake Scott," I said. Nick snorted.
"Blake Scott?" he asked in disbelief.
"It's my stage name," Kevin said. "My new agent suggested that I needed to break my stigma. I'm working under the name to separate myself from misperception."
"Well you had me duped," I said bitterly. His eyes filled with regret.
"That wasn't my intent," he said. "I--"
"Did you know he was married?" Nick asked me. His tone was accusatory.
"Of course I did," I snapped. "He told me he had just gotten a divorce." I looked at Kevin. "That wasn't a lie, right?"
He shook his head. "That wasn't a lie. Shay, I'm sorry. With the divorce and everything else changing I just thought I deserved a clean slate. You didn't recognize me and I thought I could start with a new name, new goals, and new acquaintances."
"It isn't New Years Eve," Nick said. "I feel like I should start singing Auld Lang Syne."
Kevin scowled. "Listen, jackass--"
I cleared my throat. "My son is asleep. I would prefer if you two donkeys would keep your braying down to a minimum," I said. I walked into the kitchen. This time I didn't pour a capful of JD. I took a swig.
"Shay."
The voice was soft. Tender. I looked up at Kevin. He touched my arm.
"I'm really sorry. I was going to tell you eventually, but I wanted you to get to know me, the person."
I had seen Blake...damnit Kevin...about seven times in the last month. We had clicked instantly. He was a lot older than me, but the maturity was like a breath of fresh air.
"You weren't kiddin' when you said Jake looked like someone you knew, were you?" I asked bitterly. I put the bottle back. Kevin ran a hand down his face.
"I never in my wildest dreams thought--"
"Since Jake's asleep, should I come back tomorrow morning?"
I looked at Nick. He was eyeing Kevin like the enemy.
"Sure," I said. "I think this night's over all the way around."
Kevin took the hint. I felt justifiably angry. Men were pissants. My babysitter, who was now over an hour late, was a pissant.
Oreos and a marathon of The Golden Girls sounded like the only cure.
I showed both men to the door. Kevin was still whispering apologies. Nick was quiet until I was almost ready to shut the door.
"Y'know Shay," he said slowly. "I think it's bullshit that you let your boyfriends meet Jake and I can't even let the woman I've been dating for years meet him."
I literally saw red. Murderous rage came spewing into my mouth.
"Why the fuck would I let Jake meet 'your woman' when he doesn't even know you?" I spat. "You think you can waltz in here and give him food and spoil him and that's all there is to it?" I laughed bitterly. "You don't know the first thing about being a parent. Every damn move I make I think about him first. Don't come back until you grow a pair and can speak without shit spewing from your mouth."
I slammed the door hard in his face. I pressed my hand to my mouth so I wouldn't sob as the tears started to fall.
Why were all the tall, attractive ones scum?
